Crisis

06.19.11

Black Unemployment at 16 Percent

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Unemployment among African Americans has risen to 16.2 percent--17.5 among black men, and whopping 41 percent among black teens. African American unemployment has always been higher than the national average, but it's now at the same level it was during the Great Depression. In New York City, the future looks especially dismal: 34 percent of black, male New Yorkers between the ages 19-24 are not working. Job counselors cite schools’ neglect to teach marketable skills as the source of the problem. David Johns of the Community Service Society agrees that the issue begins early. "If you haven't connected with the world of work by the age of 25, it's a permanent problem for the rest of your career.”